


Peace and Sunflower

by Valgus



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Human, Grief/Mourning, Loss, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 05:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4594569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valgus/pseuds/Valgus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Highschooler Ludwig Beilschmidt lost his only brother and family, Gilbert. What Ludwig didn't know was that Gilbert had asked his old friend Ivan Braginsky to take care of his little brother if anything happened to him. Now Ludwig had no choice but to live with the peculiar Russian as he struggled to overcome his grief.</p><p>Chapter 2: Next to Ivan's house, lived Antonio and his adopted son Lovino. Antonio liked Ivan. Lovino, not so much. Not when he considered Ivan's size to be extremely menacing. Lovino wasn't very happy either that now Ivan had a son who was just as big as he was...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ludwig sat alone on the room full of people in black. He couldn’t hear the clatter of cups against saucers, nor he could hear the chatter and whisper. His whole body ached in a way he never experienced before. Ludwig tried to make sense of why he was sitting there alone, but every thought he formed crumbled down in an instant. A single person kept coming back into his mind.

Gilbert Beilschmidt was only thirty-two. 

For as long as Ludwig could remember, Gilbert had been raising Ludwig by himself since their grandfather passed away. The albino dropped out of college for Ludwig and supported both of them. It was only a year away until Ludwig graduated high school. Gilbert never told his younger brother on his terminal disease.

_“Gil, you look very pale.”_

_“Ludwig, I’m an albino,” Gilbert sighed._

_“Yes, but you do look extra pale for an albino.”_

_Gilbert laughed dryly, “Then I suppose I work a little too hard lately.”_

Gilbert had been hiding his visits to the hospital, hiding the documents and numbers on his survival. But fate was such a cruel thing. Even though Gilbert had planned to think about his recovery once he sends Ludwig to college, his condition worsened and one winter day, he just fell on the kitchen. Gilbert didn’t even make it to the hospital. Ludwig was studying in his friend Alfred’s house when his phone rang. It was Gilbert’s number, but the voice was completely unfamiliar for him.

Ludwig still remembered how his blood ran cold. He had vague memory on Alfred’s terrified look, his blue eyes’ irises widened behind his glasses. Everything after that was a blur. Did Ludwig cry? He didn’t remember. He only remembered floating around in some sort of void.

He felt so small and lost.

“Ludwig.”

Ludwig raised his head. He was once again sitting alone in a room full of people in black. The only difference now was that someone just called his name.

There was no way Ludwig would miss the source of the voice. The man who just spoke was extremely tall and broad-shouldered. Ludwig himself was very tall, but even through all the cloudy fog of sadness, he could calculate that the ashen blond man was at least a couple of inches taller than him. The face that looked down upon Ludwig was as pale as Gilbert’s, but instead of a pair of red eyes, two violet irises staring down as the man offered Ludwig a childish-looking smile.

“I am sorry if I surprise you,” he said. 

Ludwig was surprised for the second time. Unlike his almost intimidating built, the man’s voice was sweet albeit heavily accented. Ludwig blinked slowly in confusion. He had never seen a person like this man in his life. Ludwig was sure he would remember anyone with purple eyes.

“Ah! Sorry. My name is Ivan. Ivan Braginsky. I’m Gilbert’s friend,” Ivan crouched down to his knee; his face was now almost the same height as Ludwig’s.

Ludwig suddenly recalled memory of Ivan Braginsky. As a kid, Ludwig was busy with school and friend. He knew almost nothing on Gilbert’s life outside the breakfast and dinner they spent together every weekdays. Nevertheless, Gilbert did talk about a certain Ivan. Ivan who built like a bear. Ivan who works with him. Ivan who was actually Gilbert’s boss and kind of make Gilbert work life a little miserable. Ivan who wore scarf. Gilbert talked about Ivan more than he talked about anyone else and Ludwig was silently thankful for this Ivan person’s existence because Ivan probably paid Gilbert a lot of money.

Then Gilbert had to stop working for Ivan because of ‘circumstances’. Gilbert went home a little drunk but ask Ludwig to not ask anything and to not think badly for ‘Mr Braginsky’. Later, Ludwig learnt that Ivan had to close his business and moved from town because of the terrible economy. Ludwig never heard about Ivan ever since and it had been at least five years since then. 

“Thank you for coming, Mr Braginsky,” Ludwig forced a smile. Ivan Braginsky probably came to pay one last respect to his former worker and Ludwig could appreciate that. “I’m sure that my brother would be happy to see you come.”

The violet-eyed man smiled in response. Ludwig felt like his stomach just tightened a little by the sight of the Russian’s smile.

“Ludwig, you think we can talk somewhere private?” he asked.

Ludwig nodded slowly, then gestured to the bedroom he used to share with Gilbert, for the kitchen and living room were flooded with guests.

*)*

“Ludwig, have you think about what are you doing after this?” Ivan asked once they were both seated. Ludwig was sitting on his own bed while Ivan looked ridiculously large on Ludwig’s study chair.

Ludwig was once again flooded by piercing sadness that came from realization that he was now alone in life. He inhaled sharply and shook his head.

Ivan reached into the inside of his dark, long coat and pulled out a letter. Ludwig couldn’t guess what that letter was about.

“Gilbert left me this letter when I have to fire him five years ago,” he said, shuffling on his seat to lean towards Ludwig. 

Ludwig felt his eyes became uncomfortably hot with upcoming tears. There was nothing he wanted more than to snatch the letter from Ivan’s gloved hand. He wanted to hear more of Gilbert’s voice, he had to have more of Gilbert in his life. Ludwig kept his composure and nodded once. 

“He said that if something happened to him, he wants me to care for you,” Ivan pulled another childish-looking, happy smile, but the smile didn’t reach his rather watery purple eyes. 

Ludwig blinked. Ivan didn’t need to say another word. It wasn’t like Ludwig had another choice, anyway.

*)*

By the time all the guests went home, Ivan still stayed on the Beilschmidt’s flat. He offered to order a Chinese takeout for both of them, which Ludwig didn’t refuse. They ate in silence. Ludwig didn’t really know what to say. He was so used to live in the flat with Gilbert that Ivan’s presence felt so out of place. It didn’t help that Ivan was really huge, contrasted to Gilbert who was even smaller than Ludwig.

Ivan asked whether he could stay for the night and Ludwig muttered a ‘yes’. He would live with Ivan from now on, so he better got started. Ivan had also offered Ludwig help to clean up the apartment on the next day. When they finished cleaning up the kitchen and brushed their teeth, Ivan told Ludwig about his house, which located on the other side of the town. He also told Ludwig on how he would take care of Gilbert’s finance. Ludwig could only say ‘thank you’. He wasn’t quite sure on what to say to this stranger who seemed to be too good to be true.

There was no place for Ivan to sleep but Gilbert’s former bed and Ludwig wasn’t sure whether Ivan was okay with that. The taller man, however, didn’t seem to mind. He slept with his tan scarf on like an overgrown Gilbert. He didn’t move as much as Gilbert on his sleep, however, which was something Ludwig noticed.

It took Ludwig almost two hours to finally fall asleep. He was so sad he was surprised he was still alive. He didn’t know how anyone could survive losing a family member, but there he was.

*)*

It was three in the morning when Ludwig suddenly woke up, shaking and out of breath. It felt like someone just shook his shoulders very roughly in an attempt to wake him up. Ludwig didn’t realize what happened first. He just knew he was very sad and lost—that he was very much alone.

But then Ivan moved on his sleep and the bed creaked. One of his long legs fell from the bed to the floor. The bed looked way too small for him and Ludwig could hear him breathing in his sleep very heavily. Ludwig now understood why Gilbert said that Ivan was very bear-like. If Ludwig ever witnessed a bear sleep, he imagined the bear would make the same sleeping noise like Ivan. 

Ludwig lied on his bed again. There was lightness on his chest on knowing that Ivan’s comical figure on tiny bed distracted him. Ludwig closed his eyes and all he could sense were his weight against his bed and Ivan’s sleeping sound; the Russian’s heavy breathing, the bed creak, and the image of large, fluffy white bear sleeping soundly.

*)*

The next day, Ivan asked Ludwig three times of “Is that all you want to take?” when Ludwig packed only three boxes of stuffs.

Ludwig nodded, “I don’t have that many clothes. The rest are just books and school stuffs. You said you have house. I assume all the things I might need like kitchen utensils are there. We don’t need two microwaves, do we?”

Ivan’s face was blanked for a second, then he started to giggle, “You’re better than Gilbert’s description of you.”

Ludwig squeezed his knuckles upon hearing his late brother’s name, but he snuffled upon hearing Ivan’s giggle. Much like his voice, Ivan’s giggle was equal delighting and adorable.

Ivan called a couple of people to take care of the flat before asking Ludwig whether he would go now to his new house. 

“Can I have a five minutes alone on this flat? You can wait in the car.”

Ivan nodded and left with two boxes, leaving Ludwig with one box to carry and a flat that soon would belong to other people.

Ludwig had been living here for almost his whole life. Now, he had to let it go like he had to let his brother go. Everything was very sudden, but nothing Ludwig could do about that.

Amidst anger and sadness that clouded his thought, Ludwig could feel a speck of hope and happiness. At least he had someone who waited for him. At least he still had someone.

*)*

Ivan’s house was at least three times bigger than Ludwig’s former flat. Located on a quiet suburb, the house stood in the middle of small garden that would probably full of beautiful plants once spring comes. 

The drive was a little long but quiet. Ivan hummed a song that Ludwig didn’t recognize. He still hummed it when he took the boxes from passenger seat and walked slowly to the living room, where Ludwig followed him awkwardly like a lost kid.

The interior of the house seemed to be specially designed for Ivan. Everything looked fifty percent bigger than the normal size, from the dining chair to bowl of fruit on the table. Ivan hummed his eerily cheery song as he put Ludwig’s boxes to the dining table. Ludwig mirrored his action while Ivan shrugged his long coat off.

There was nothing Ludwig wanted to do more than to look around. Ivan’s house was decorated differently from Alfred’s, though Ludwig wasn’t quite sure what made them different. Alfred’s house looked like the house of average American and everything was normal sized. It was a little messy to Ludwig’s standard, which was probably why Alfred was happy to have Ludwig around, since Ludwig would voluntarily clean Alfred’s sink as they went to get something to drink in the kitchen.

“Ludwig? Your coat?” Ivan’s voice suddenly brought him back to reality. Ludwig took his coat off, handed it to Ivan, who hang it on the coat hanger on the corner of the room. Ivan had stopped humming and nothing could be heard but distant voices of suburb life. “So, Ludwig, you want to choose your bedroom now?”

“Choose?” Ludwig blinked. 

“Da. Choose. My bedroom is upstairs. There are two more bedrooms beside mine upstairs and one on this floor,” Ivan’s accent made most of the things he said sounded like song. “Or you want breakfast, maybe?”

Ludwig hadn’t been hungry since that devastating moment in Alfred’s house, so he shook his head.

“Ludwig, I know you’re upset,” sighed Ivan. “But you have to eat. Food required for body to work, da?”

Ludwig looked at Ivan who stood a couple feet away from him. His way of nagging reminded Ludwig of Gilbert and Ludwig wanted to clutch his chest. At this point, a lot of thing reminded him of his late brother and Ludwig didn’t know whether he could go on living like this.

Ivan walked towards him, “I tell you what; you go see the bedrooms upstairs and I make some syrniki… is like pancake around here. If you still don’t feel hungry by then, you don’t have to eat it.”

Ludwig stared at the pair of purple eyes who bore into his. He couldn’t help but to notice a sensation of coldness on his back when Ivan looked at him like that. Ludwig’s stomach churned in a way that he was sure wasn’t because of hunger, “Yes, Mr Braginsky.”

“Ivan,” the ashen blond corrected. Ivan hadn't blink his eyes for quite sometime.

“Ivan,” repeated Ludwig who didn’t dare to break the eye contact.

“Da,” Ivan smiled and finally turned around. “Now go check bedrooms. I will be in kitchen.”

Ludwig didn’t realize he was holding his breath until Ivan was in the kitchen. He inhaled sharply before turning around towards the stairs to the second floor. As he stepped upstairs, all he could think about was the Russian with peculiar eye colour who made some sort of pancake for him in the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was rewatching Hetalia Season 5 and I thought that Russia is so cute! He looks cute and he sounds cute. I want to write a very nice and kind Russia with Germany who needs a lot of hug.
> 
> I guess the idea revolved around "Ludwig wasn't sure whether he should think of Ivan as father, brother, or ~something else~" as the story develops. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
> 
> (I also plan some smut to come but IDK, LMAO.)
> 
> Thank you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace and Sunflower Side Story: Mr Antonio and His Little Tomato Son

It had been six months since Antonio had a new neighbour. The big house next to his finally got a new owner… which apparently was as big as his new living space.

Antonio was helping Lovino with his homework when the bell rang. Lovino was Antonio’s son, though they weren’t blood-related. They had been together since Lovino was five. Antonio worked a lot so he could afford more time and money for his beloved son, so Lovino spent a lot of time alone as he grew up. Antonio didn’t know where Lovino picked up the attitude and all the harsh words, but Antonio cared for Lovino just as much. Now, Lovino was in high school and Antonio was on his mid-thirties.

Lovino pouted to his father, “Do you plan to have any guest at this hour?” His face might as well be spelling ‘Don’t let anyone bother your time with me, Dammit!’

Antonio shook his head.

“Then kick them out or something,” gruntled Lovino. Antonio laughed and stood up to open the door.

Ivan Braginsky was a very tall and large man who looked like polar bear. His skin was so pale compared to Antonio’s and Lovino’s tanned ones and his hair was almost white with a light shade of cream colour.

“Ah! Mr Braginsky! Come in!” Antonio stepped back.

“Please, just call me Ivan,” he said as he stepped in.

Lovino had disappeared from the living room when Antonio brought Ivan there. Ivan apparently cooked to many stew and wanted to share with Antonio and his son. After luring Lovino with churros for desert, the three of them finally had dinner together.

When Ivan went home, Lovino was visibly stopped being so tense.

“What’s wrong, Lovino?” asked Antonio.

“The bastard is creepy.”

“Senor Ivan is a very nice man!” Antonio gasped.

“Well, whatever! Now you have to help me with the history homework again!” Lovino grumbled.

Antonio laughed and ran to hug his grumpy son.

*)*

Lovino Vargas’ goal had always been to be number one Antonio Fernandez Carriedo’s life. So far, he didn’t feel like he made the cut just yet, but he was working on it.

One day, Ivan the creepy Russian bastard from next door came. Unfortunately, Lovino was the one who opened the door. He almost ran from his large neighbour to tell Antonio that he had a guest.

Lovino made tea while Antonio talked to Ivan, who apparently would also become a father for foster minor. 

“What happened to his parent?” Antonio’s tea-holding hand stopped midair.

“Brother,” Ivan sighed. “He passed away from terminal illness. He was my best employee for years.”

So then Lovino knew that Ivan was about to adopt a German named Ludwig Beilschmidt, who was also in high school like Lovino. Antonio was almost crying when he told Lovino, “You will have next door friend! Oh Lovino, it will be wonderful!” Lovino begged to differ, but he liked Antonio’s smiling face way too much to say anything.

When Ivan had to go to pick up his new son, he asked Antonio for advice. Antonio had no solid advice but some abstract one like, “Love him with all your heart!” But Ivan’s smile became wider as the time went by. After Ivan finally left, Antonio patted Lovino’s shoulder and looked at Lovino very seriously.

“Please try to be friend with Ludwig. He had been through a lot lately.”

Lovino nodded, promised himself he would try his best.

*)*

Antonio was away for work when Ivan returned next day in his big ass car that could contain his big ass body. Lovino was on his room on the second floor and he could watch the big ass white car stopped by the garage next door.

This was it. This was the moment where Lovino would see his new neighbour, this ‘Ludwig’ guy…

Oh _fuck_ no.

After Ivan walked out from his big ass car carrying two big ass boxes, another big ass guy followed him with another big ass box. With height not far from Ivan’s and some big ass muscle that could be seen underneath that big ass coat, this Ludwig was also another big ass human.

What kind of shit is _that_? 

One Ivan was terrifying enough to have next door—now Lovino must had another one? Lovino could only pray that Ivan didn’t decide to bring another big ass person to the house…

(Though actually Lovino had seen another big ass person prior to this human cyborg Ludwig. It was a lady with short hair and, well, very blessed chests. Her voice was loud enough to be heard by Lovino and she sounded like she loved Ivan so much. Later, Lovino knew that she was Ivan’s sister. A big ass sister. Lovino wondered whether everyone in Ivan’s family was looked like his parent mated with a bear, but then Antonio showed Lovino a photograph of Ivan’s family in order to ‘repair’ Ivan scary image in Lovino’s mind. Ivan had a younger sister who was normal in height… she must be shorter than Lovino, though her eyes looked like she was planning to murder anyone that dare to glance twice at his older brother the big ass Ivan Braginsky.)

Lovino was cursing when he saw something out of the window. The bedroom across his own, one of the bedrooms the next house had on the second floor, had the window opened.

Ludwig didn’t seem to realise that Lovino was on his line of sight. The big ass blond guy looked around and opened the drawer in that bedroom.

So that was the story how Lovino’s bedroom was now located across a big ass German bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't help but to write about Lovino freaking out because not only he had Ivan has neighbour, but also Ludwig.
> 
> We'll return to Ludwig and Ivan on the next chapter!
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
